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Home > Our City > All America City > Civic Empowerment Awards Program, Louis J. Billittier, Sr. Exemplary Civic

Civic Empowerment Awards Program, Louis J. Billittier, Sr. Exemplary Civic Action Award & Intern


" A Celebration of Buffalo Niagara's Civic Life"

About the Civic Empowerment Awards and the

Louis J. Billittier, Sr. Exemplary Civic Action Award…

During the initial process of applying for The National Civic League's (www.ncl.org) All-America City Award (Greater Buffalo-Erie County won in 1996 and the Buffalo-Niagara Region in 2002), the All-America City Committee learned discovered a number of very positive "grassroots" projects being carried out by civic minded citizens to help achieve a better quality of life.

These citizens (and their partners) were not depending on others for solutions to the challenges they saw and were demonstrating civic leadership by creating collaborations with other citizens, businesses, government and non-profits to tackle tough issues and get results that benefit all of us.

As an outcome of this learning the Buffalo Niagara All-America City Committee started the Civic Empowerment Awards program to identify and publicly recognize successful "civic entrepreneurs" and help inspire others to civic action. In each Civic Empowerment Awards Honorees you will find a compelling story of accomplishments and "social capital" building. The Civic Empowerment Awards demonstrate locally (and to the world) the "good any one of us can do when we work together" in our neighborhoods, cities, or region. The "Social Capital" (trust and community connectedness) developed through citizen participation in civic life is a critical asset for our community's healthy future. In 1999 to honor outstanding individual leadership, The Buffalo Niagara All-America City Committee established the "Louis J. Billittier, Sr." Exemplary Civic Action Award in honor of the late and deeply loved civic leader Louis J. Billittier, Sr. In 2005, the committee awarded its first International Social Capital Building Award.

Previous Civic Empowerment/Billittier Award Honorees include:

2005:

The Louis J. Billittier, Sr. Exemplary Civic Action Award: Jack Connors, Samuel M. Ferraro, and Philip L. Haberstro

2004:

The Louis J. Billittier, Sr. Exemplary Civic Action Award: David J. Ellerbrock, Ph.D., George R. Grasser, and David N. Greenfield

  • For More Information on the National All-America City Award visit www.ncl.org

  • For Local Information visit www.city-buffalo.com/document_246.html

*Any questions, need more information, or if your organization (or others you know) would like to be an awards dinner sponsor or put an ad in the program book please contact:

Jill Shuey or Phil Haberstro @ 851-4052, e-mail: wellness@city-buffalo.org - Alforna Evans @ 837-1384 - or - Joan Broderick @ 745-3969. Thank you.

Benefits To CEA Honorees

  • Opportunity for your team to celebrate your accomplishment together and to meet others (Social Capital Building).
  • Your participation helps build a sense of community for the Buffalo-Niagara Region.
  • Potential for positive national exposure for your program.
  • Opportunity to raise funds for your organization through program book ad sales.

Join the Buffalo Niagara All-America City Committee…

The AAC Committee was founded in 1993 and is housed in the Not For Profit (501-C-3) Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo and WNY (www.beactivenys.org). Alforna Evans, Phil Haberstro and Virginia Hens founded the all-volunteer AAC Committee in 1993. The Committee's unique mission is to build "social capital" (trust and community connectedness) in the Buffalo-Niagara region.

Since 1994 the Committee has achieved All-America City finalist status six times in eight attempts competing for the National Civic League' s All-America City designation (www.ncl.org). In 1996 Greater Buffalo (Buffalo and Erie County) and in 2002 the Buffalo Niagara Region won the prestigious lifetime designation of "All-America City" for our community.

Building on their understanding of the importance of citizen participation in community life the committee's Civic Empowerment Awards program was started in 1996. To date 102 community groups in the Buffalo Niagara region have earned the Civic Empowerment Award and 15 individuals have received the Exemplary Civic Action Award, named in honor of the late Louis J. Billittier, Sr. former All-America City Honorary Chair and beloved civic leader.

Looking to the future and building on their values the committee invites interested citizens and organizations to join us in our mission of increasing social capital in the Buffalo-Niagara region. Please call 851-4052 or email: wellness@city-buffalo.org for more information, if you would like to be part of our "Healthy Democracy" building team!

  • Opportunity to "share" your story with the community and inspire others to civic action.

  • Use Award as an asset in future grant applications/sponsorships/promotion of your project.

  • Opportunity to recruit new members to your organization.

  • On-going free public relations for your project from the Buffalo-Niagara All-America City committee.

    The All-America City Committee would like to invite you (and /or your organization) to join the Buffalo-Niagara All-America City Committee. Please provide the following information.

    Name:

    Organization:

    Address:

    Phone: Fax: Email:

    Best time to call:

    We need you to identify your specific area of interests for All-America City Committee participation. Please check your choice (s) below.

    Identifying sponsors/resources to fund our mission (Year round) All-America City Award Promotion (Year round) Civic Empowerment Awards (Winter/Spring) "Working Better Together" Civic Fair (Summer/Fall) Community Social Capital Initiative (Year round) "Where ever you need me!"

    Please return this sheet by fax or mail to the following address:

    All-America City Committee
    C/O Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo
    65 Niagara Sq. Room 607
    Buffalo, NY 14202

    or

    Fax: 851-4309

    Visit www.city-buffalo.com and click on All America City for more information.

    *AfterHours Medical Care Lifetime Health *Niagara Falls Housing Authority Annual "Run from Drugs" *Arts Council in Buffalo and Erie County Re-grant and Technical Assistance Programs *Care Management Coalition of WNY, Inc. *"The Great American Cleanup" Keep WNY Beautiful, Inc. *The Johnson Park Association *Diocese of Buffalo Ladies of Charity Rehab-Program *Saint Adalbert RESPONSE TO LOVE CENTER *Stop the Violence (The Family) *The Valley Nature Park and Habitat Trail *West Side Community Collaborative -Crime & Blight Abatement Initiative - 19th Street *AIDS Network of WNY - HOPWA Community Advisory Group *Buffalo Community Center Collaborative, Inc. *Council on Aging of Niagara County, Inc. *The Daemen College-Seneca Babcock Partnership *The Greater Buffalo Counseling Centers, Inc. *The National Conference for Community & Justice, Urban Suburban Student Association Program *People Inc.'s Get Out the Vote (GOTV) Initiative *Reaching Beyond The Break *St. Luke's Mission of Mercy *Youth Advantage - First Annual "International Social Capital Building" Award: Belfast Summer Relief Program
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